A day in the life of a Disneyland manager who's worked there for 23 years, walks 5 miles daily around the park, and has a 'long-distance' marriage with his wife

Disney California Adventure
Park West general manager Gary Maggetti has worked at the
Disneyland Resort full-time
for 23 years.

Before he landed a full-time role, he did a stint as a Jungle Cruise
skipper in college.

Maggetti shared his typical daily routine - which
features a morning pick-me-up of green tea and lots of walking
- with Business Insider.

Gary Maggetti's Disneyland journey began long before
he landed his first full-time role there in 1995.

Before the iconic resort became his workplace, he was just
another kid at the park, swinging by all the best attractions with his twin brother
Chris. Their family visited Disneyland every two years, starting
when they were four.

Then, Maggetti was a Northern Arizona University hotel and
restaurant administration major applying for the Disney College
Program. He landed a summer gig as a skipper on the Jungle
Cruise, one of his favorite rides.

Finally, in 1995, he landed his first full-time role at the park.
By that point, Maggetti knew that Disneyland was where he wanted
to stay.

In the 23 years since, Maggetti has held 13 different roles at the Walt Disney Company,
including one that took him all the way to Japan. Today, he's a
general manager representing the western part of Disney
California Adventure Park. Disney California Adventure and
Disneyland Park are the two theme parks that make up the
Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California.

Maggetti said his story isn't "unique" at Disneyland.

"You go to a meeting and you look around the room and it's like:
'Oh my goodness, you were in my management training class in
1996,'" he told Business Insider. "This is not an unusual story
because there are so many opportunities with Disney to have
different experiences."

Maggetti recently shared his daily schedule with Business
Insider. His routine sheds light on both the culture at
Disneyland, and the behind-the-scenes inner-workings of the park.

Here's what a typical day at Disneyland looks like for Maggetti:

Maggetti wakes up early and typically passes on coffee

caption

Maggetti and his family.

source

Courtesy of Gary Maggetti

Maggetti kicks off his day at 6 a.m. He's not big on breakfast,
but he said that he'll sometimes eat a morning meal with his two
teenage sons.

According to Maggetti, the boys take after his twin brother Chris
- an executive chef at Disneyland.

"They're actually pretty good cooks, so sometimes they'll make me
breakfast in the morning," he told Business Insider.

But two figures are typically absent from the breakfast table:
Maggetti said he has a "long distance marriage" with his wife,
who lives and works in Northern California with his stepson. The
family reunites on the weekends, though.

After breakfast, Maggetti drives his sons to school and then
embarks on the 35-minute commute to Disneyland. He usually
arrives at work around 8 a.m.

To prepare for the workday, Maggetti skips coffee and instead
opts for decaf green tea. He said he prefers the "calming effect"
of the beverage.

He meets up with his team mates and enjoys watching the park open

caption

Maggetti's Disneyland colleagues in a meeting.

source

Courtesy of Disneyland Resort

First up, Maggetti heads to his team's morning huddle. Patrick
Finnegan, the vice president of Disney California Adventure Park
and the Downtown Disney District, leads the daily meeting.
Everyone discusses the previous day and establishes a "game plan"
for the coming day.

Maggetti said the team often makes a point of huddling out in the
park, where they can watch early-bird guests trickle in around 9
a.m.

"It's incredibly enjoyable to be there when the first guests go
through the turnstiles," Maggetti said. "There's this sense of
adventure and hope and excitement. You can kind of see the guests
making decisions early in the day. Like, 'Am I going to the new
Incredicoaster?' or 'Am I going to head over to Radiator Springs
Racer?' It's great to be a part of that."

Up next, Maggetti learns about any cool opportunities for his cast members

caption

Maggetti at the Pixar Pier in Disneyland.

source

Courtesy of Disneyland Resort

Once the park is opened, all of the general managers will connect
with one of the resort's duty managers for a daily "roll call."

Maggetti said this is his chance to learn about cool
opportunities for Disney California Adventure Park cast members
to try out new attractions before they open to guests.

"They'll let the leaders know, 'Hey make sure your cast members
know we have this great experience before the guests arrive,'"
Maggetti said.

As general manager, Maggetti has to wear a number of different hats — and shoes

caption

Gary Maggetti at the Lamplight Lounge in Disneyland.

source

Courtesy of Disneyland Resort

As the general manager of the western region of Disney California
Adventure Park, Maggetti's days revolve around everything from
managing cast members to dealing with developing and building new
attractions in the park.

Maggetti told Business Insider that he often wears a few
different hats in his role.

"You've got the hat of day to day operations, and leadership for
the cast members in your area, but then you also put on your
construction hat," Maggetti said.

He doesn't just switch out hats based on the day. Recently,
Maggetti played a major part in the launch of Pixar Pier - an
area of the park previously known as Paradise Pier.

"I have my construction shoes in the office that are super dirty,
and normal dress shoes," he said.

Being a 'generalist leader' is important at Disneyland, according to Maggetti

caption

Maggetti in one of Disneyland's cast member break areas.

source

Courtesy of Disneyland Resort

At Disneyland Resort, every day is different. Maggetti might find
himself checking in with cast members at the park's new Lamplight
Lounge restaurant, establishing a new micro-market in one of the
break areas, or brainstorming park development opportunities with
his direct reports.

As a result, he said managers at Disneyland have got to be
capable of handling a wide range of projects and situations.

"Being a generalist leader is a great way for you to get
satisfaction out of your role," he said.

Generally, Maggetti's daily schedule varies a lot

caption

Maggetti with Disneyland cast members.

source

Courtesy of Disneyland Resort

On a day-to-day basis, Maggetti's schedule is often up in the
air. He said that he often double or triple books meetings,
calls, or visits to certain areas of the park.

Maggetti said that he'll then make a final decision on what to do
based on his top priorities that day.

Maggetti stays mobile — and often walks up to five miles a day around the park

caption

Maggetti speaks with cast members.

source

Courtesy of Disneyland Resort

Maggetti likes to stay mobile throughout the day. He typically
walks at least five miles every day.

"I do spend as much time as I can in the parks," Maggetti said.
"So I'm a 10,000-steps-a-day person."

Recently, Maggetti actually hit 14 miles in one day, as he darted
between venues during a media event.

Maggetti said he's grateful for the exercise and added that his
park rounds "help me stay
connected with cast members and guests."

He has one major rule when it comes to supporting cast members

caption

Gary Maggetti in Disneyland.

source

Courtesy of Disneyland Resort

"As a leader your main responsibility is to care about your cast
members," Maggetti said. "You demonstrate care by asking them
what they need - and listening."

He said that "guessing" is the worst thing a leader can do when
responding to a cast member's request or question.

"Don't guess," he said. "Go find out and get back to the cast
member."

Maggetti also takes time to help out guests

caption

Maggetti in Disneyland.

source

Courtesy of Disneyland Resort

Maggetti's office is behind Cars Land, so he frequently does a
lot of walking in the Radiator Springs area. He told Business
Insider that he often passes by a particularly photogenic spot,
where guests flock to take pictures in front of the park's
Cadillac Mountain Range.

"I'll just walk out and ask guests if they want me to take their
picture," he said. "Oftentimes dad or mom don't get to be in the
picture because they are taking it."

He said getting to interact with the guests and help them make
memories at the park is a "magical experience."

Maggetti's two favorite rides both have a nautical theme...

caption

Maggetti checks in with a Disneyland manager.

source

Courtesy of Disneyland Resort

Maggetti said his all-time favorite ride in the Disneyland Resort
is Pirates of the Caribbean.

"It's the one attraction that, when we come as a family, that's
the one we do," he said.

But when it comes to his own home base, Disney's California
Adventure, he prefers The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Undersea
Adventure.

"Part of it is that nostalgia feel," he said. "When The Little
Mermaid actually came out, I was kind of reinvested in Disney
animation. I was in marching band in high school and we ended up
playing a whole show that had music from The Little Mermaid."

...and one of his favorite spots in the park is 'off the beaten path'

caption

Maggetti's office.

source

Courtesy of Disneyland Resort

When he wants to "decompress," Maggetti will head over to the
spot behind Harbor Galley
where the Sailing Ship Columbia docks. He said the the area is
"off the beaten path" and has a few tables that most guests don't
know about.

"It's the area where all the Splash Mountain logs splashdown," he
said. "If you're standing on this little bridge, you can hear the
peals of laughter and excitement. You don't see the guests you
only kind of see the raft floating by and the top of their heads.
If you close your eyes and you realize you're in Disneyland and
all this happiness is around you - no matter what kind of day I'm
having, if I walk out there, it is amazing."

Maggetti usually skips — or at least postpones — eating lunch

caption

Gary Maggetti at Flo's V8 Café in Disneyland.

source

Courtesy of Disneyland Resort

Taking lunch at the usual time is a bit tricky at Disneyland, as
noon to 2 p.m. are peak visiting hours at the park. Maggetti said
he sometimes grab a meal later in the afternoon.

But, on Wednesdays, he'll just have a snack prior before heading
to a weekly staff meeting. The marathon session goes from noon to
5 p.m.

He doesn't plan too far ahead

caption

Maggetti speaks with his colleagues at Disneyland.

source

Courtesy of Disneyland Resort

Maggetti typically heads out around 6 or 6:30 p.m. He leaves
having a good idea of what the next day's going to look like, but
he said that he doesn't plan beyond a few days in advance.

"I know exactly what's happening today and I know exactly what's
happening tomorrow," he said. "But I know that in this business
things change on a dime. Things change very, very quickly."

On Fridays, Maggetti makes the trip to Northern California

caption

Maggetti's family.

source

Courtesy of Gary Maggetti

On most nights, Maggetti spends the evening hanging out with his
sons. On Fridays, however, he'll fly up to Northern California to
visit his wife and stepson.

Once the weekend is over, Maggetti heads back on an early morning
Monday flight.

"When my wife and I talk to our families about it, they think,
'How do you guys do all this?'" Maggetti said. "At the end of the
day we just do. That's just what we do, that's how we work our
weeks. Certainly absence makes the heart grow fonder. I'm always
excited to see her, but we do certainly wish we were living in
the same house."

Most evenings, he'll play some ping pong with his sons

caption

Maggetti and his son.

source

Courtesy of Gary Maggetti

On week nights, Maggetti will catch up with his sons over cooking
and games of ping pong.

In fact, he said his younger son will often greet him by saying,
"We'll need a game of ping pong."

Afterwards, he'll head to the kitchen.

"My oldest son and I will cook together, and then we'll FaceTime
with my wife," he said. "So well stay connected that way."

After dinner, he'll unwind by watching TV and doing some chores

caption

Maggetti and his son.

source

Courtesy of Gary Maggetti

He also might watch an episode of "Modern Family" with his sons
"that we've seen a billion times - we can quote every line."

Later in the evening, Maggetti said he unwinds by doing chores.

"This is going to sound weird, but I love doing laundry," he
said. "I find it a great way to decompress and think about the
day that is nearly concluding and about what I need to focus on
for the next morning."

On most nights, Maggetti is usually asleep by 10:30 or 11 p.m.

Working at Disneyland has been a dream come true for Maggetti

caption

Maggetti and his twin brother Chris.

source

Courtesy of Gary Maggetti

Maggetti said that he still has "powerful memories" of his
childhood visits to Disneyland with his brother. So for both of
them to grow up to work at the resort for so many years has been
pretty poetic.

According to Maggetti, basing his career at Disneyland "took the
magic that I had known as a child to a completely different
level."

Are you a current or former Disneyland cast member? Email
acain@businessinsider.com.